dinner

A Favorite in Mexico, Simple Entomatadas with Fried Eggs

October 26, 2023 by Becky Spoon

Entomatadas are tortillas bathed in a tomato sauce! They are very popular in Oaxaca, Mexico for breakfast. They are served with eggs or a jerky like meat from that region. I made them for breakfast today and I had forgotten how delicious they are. Literally, I had them made in less than 30 minutes. You could make the sauce the day before, double the recipe and freeze so that next time it’s a matter of heating and softening the tortillas in hot oil and folding.

I have made these before from a Youtube video. This recipe is from one of the very many cookbooks I have on the foods of Mexico. This book is Oaxaca al Gusto, An Infinite Gastronomy by Diana Kennedy. This book won the James Beard Foundation book of the year in 2014. I’ve just started reading and I’m ready to cook from it since I have spent a lot of time in Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala and surrounding towns, Mexico City, Baja California, the Caribbean areas like Tulum and other areas like Guadalajara. Here’s the link for the book: https://amzn.to/3MdNfzG

Just look at how delicious this dish looks. They are very easy too.

This is what Diana Kennedy writes in her book about Entomatadas “Entomatadas, literally tortillas bathd in a tomato sauce, are a very popular breakfast dish in Oaxaca. They are either served alone, with eggs or with a piece of tasajo.” Sounds delicious, right? They are so good.

How to Make Entomatadas with Fried Eggs

To make heat a little of the oil in a skillet and fry the tortillas, one by one, lightly on both sides, they should not becove crisp around the edge. Drain on paper towels and proceed with frying the rest, adding more oil as necessary.

Then, dip the tortillas, one by one, into the hot tomato sauce, fold into four and place on a warm serving dish or on individual plates. Pour the remaining sauce over them and garnish with the onion, cheese and parsley. If you are toping with a fried egg, arrange the 4 tortillas fourths on a plate,

Here’s another breakfast dish I think you will love! love this breakfast quesadilla!

Entomatadas with Fried Eggs

Entomatadas are corn tortillas bathed in a tomato sauce! They are very popular in Oaxaca, Mexico for breakfast.

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Servings: 6 servings

Course: Breakfast, dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

The Sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium white onion, thinly sliced
2 small garlic cloves, peeled
2 chiles de agua, toasted, skinned and seeded or substitute jalapenos, toasted only
1 1/2 lbs. Roma tomatoes, quartered and cooked in very little water
2 large sprigs epazote
salt to taste

Preparing the Entomatadas

1/4 cup vegetable oil
12 tortillas about 6 inches in diameter
1 medium white onion, cut in thin half moons
3/4 cup queso fresco or shredded quesillo
1 small bunch flat-leaved parsley, torn into small pieces

Method

Heat a little of the oil in a skillet and fry the tortillas, one by one, lightly on both sides; they should not become crisp aground the edges, just soft. Drain on paper towels and proceed with frying the rest, adding more oil as necessary.
Dip the tortillas, one by one, into the hot tomato sauce, fold into four and place on a warm serving dish or on individual plates. Pour the remaining sauce over, If you are adding an egg or eggs, fry them to your liking and place on top of the entomatadas, then and garnish with the onion, cheese, and parsley.

Delicious! So Easy #1 Louisiana red beans and rice.

September 19, 2021 by Becky Spoon

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I love beans of any kind, but I especially love beans that have tons of flavor like Red Beans and Rice! These beans have are cooked with ham hocks, Andouille sausage, the holy trinity, onions, peppers and celery, along with traditional spices of Louisiana creole cuisine. Add some rice and you have a complete, so inexpensive hearty meal that has so many things that are good for you.

Delicious Red Beans and Rice

I served this with hot water cornbread. Have you heard of hot water cornbread? It’s a very southern cornbread that I grew up eating. It’s so easy and basically is a fried cornbread. Here’s just a really quick recipe:

Hot Water Cornbread

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

2/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
boiling hot water
oil for frying

Method

Add enough peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil to a skillet to fry the cornbread. Heat to medium high. You don't want it hot, because the outside will brown before the inside is done.
Bring a cup of water to boil (you may not need all of it). Combine all the ingredients.
Pour the hot water a little at a time into the mixture until completely combined. Your dough will be soft enough to form a disc with your hands. Too much water and you won't be able to do that.
Take golf size balls from the dough and form into a disc or a cylinder shape. Gently add to the hot oil and fry until golden brown.

An alternative is my basic cornbread with bacon:1 of My Favorites, Easy – Basic Cornbread Recipe with Bacon

delicious! so easy Louisiana red beans and rice.

I love food from Louisiana, especially New Orleans. I’ve made these beans many times but this time I kind of followed John Besh’s recipe from his cookbook “My New Orleans”. It’s pretty much the same as I always make but because I love this book and his recipes from New Orleans, I felt I needed to try it! He doesn’t use Kielbasa and I used pork belly to render my pork fat. I think the addition of these things added to his recipe. You could use Andouille Sausage, but it’s a little harder to find.

Here’s the link for John Besh’s cookbook: https://amzn.to/2SHF6ar. This is a great cookbook but you have to follow the instructions and not improvise. I only say that because the first recipe I tried from his book, I thought I knew what I was doing and didn’t necessarily follow to a T. The result was a recipe I really didn’t like. Years later I picked the book up and tried the recipe again following his instructions completely, and I loved it!

Other methods to cook this delicious dish.

I have cooked the beans in my instant pot many times making this recipe. I have also made them in a slow cooker. I think the hint I would have about a slow cooker it doesn’t really thicken your broth much and I do like my bean broth to cook down and thicken a little. This is the Instant Pot I use for so many things: https://amzn.to/4hHQ7m3.

Simple, Delicious Red Beans and Rice

Here are a couple more recipes I’ve made from his book. this is amazing – louisiana shrimp and grits.

Ok, add this new recipe to your Louisiana cooking repertoire!

Red Beans and Rice

5 from 1 vote

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Servings: 6 servings

Course: Appetizer, dinner, easy side dish, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: cajun, creole

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

For the Beans

2 onions, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 tbsp rendered bacon fat (I used pork belly, you can use bacon or salt pork)
1 pound dried red kidney beans
2 smoked ham hocks
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 green onions, chopped
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco
3 cups cooked Basic Louisiana White Rice (recipe follows)

For the Basic Louisiana White Rice

1 tbsp chicken fat, extra virgin olive oil or butter
1 small onion, minced
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
3 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1-2 pinches salt

Method

For the Red Beans

Sweat the onions, bell peppers, and celery in the rendered bacon fat in a heavy soup pot over medium-high heat.
Once the onions become translucent, add the kidney beans, ham hocks, bay leaves, and cayenne, then add water to cover by 2 inches.
Increase the heat and bring the water to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and allow the beans to slowly simmer for 2 hours. Periodically stir the beans to make sure that they don't scorch on the bottom of the pot, adding water if necessary, always keeping the beans covered by an inch or more of water.
Continue cooking the beans until they are creamy and beginning to fall apart when they're stirred.
Remove the ham hock meat from the bones, roughly chop it, and add it back to the pot of beans.
Stir in the green onions and season with salt, black pepper and Tabasco. Serve with the Basic White Rice.

For the Basic Louisiana White Rice

Put the fat, oil or butter and the onions into a medium saucepan and sweat the onions over moderate heat until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour the rice into the pan and stir for 2 minutes. Then add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the bay leaf and salt.
Cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 18 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, fluff with a fork and serve.

a Texas favorite, famous chicken fried steak sandwich!

August 21, 2021 by Becky Spoon

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When I was choosing the right photo of this Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich as the header photo, I just couldn’t make up mind. Don’t the photo look amazing?

This sandwich is without a doubt a Texas favorite. Whether on a sandwich or served topped with gravy and fries or mashed potato, the chicken fried steak is served at almost every cafe, diner, mom and pops, even TexMex restaurants in Texas will have a chicken fried steak on the menu. Just the name, chicken….fried….steak….just denotes it is going to be amazing!

Today we use cube steak, the official cut you buy for chicken fried steak. My mom would use round steak that she would tenderize by beating it with the sides of a plate. It’s been around for a long time. I have another post of chicken fried steak that has a little history of the cfs and how it came about with the chuckwagon on trail rides. Best Texas Chicken Fried Steak Fingers

a Texas favorite, chicken fried steak sandwich!

So the sandwich starts with the chicken fried steak which is made by breading the cubed steak and frying it in hot oil until golden brown on all sides. The breading is key! Seasoned flour, egg mixture, back into the flour, repeat if you like, throw into the hot oil, well, not literally, but place in the oil, turning until golden brown. I like to use Peanut Oil; however, you could use vegetable oil. I also like to fry in a cast iron dutch oven. Mine is very old, it was my Grandmother’s, but you can get some really nice Lodge cast iron pieces. This is like the one I used: https://amzn.to/3D95Erh

So much for the “chicken fried steak” let’s talk about the sandwich! It starts with a buttered and toasted bun. Then it is slathered with a good mayonnaise. Add a layer of lettuce to the bottom, then the steak and last but not least top with fresh salt and peppered tomatoes and thinly sliced onions. You could add pickles, but I really don’t like pickles on this sandwich, but do what you like!

If you have leftover chicken fried steak, you have to have it for breakfast on to a homemade biscuit and then topped with gravy! Here’s my favorite buttermilk biscuit recipe:

wonderful – flaky buttermilk biscuits.

Here’s the recipe or this wonderful sandwith! Enjoy!

chicken fried steak sandwich!

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Course: Breakfast, brunch, dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 lb cube steak or tenderized round steak
2 cups plus if needed all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 eggs beaten plus a splash of water
peanut oil for frying (up to about 1/3 in the pan you are using)

To Build the Sandwich

Cooked Chicken Fried Steak
2-4 hamburger buns
butter for toasting the buns
good mayonnaise
lettuce leaves
sliced tomatoes
thinly sliced onions (I used Purple)
pickles (optional)

Method

For the Chicken Fried Steak

Place the flour in a container. Add the seasonings and whisk. Add your eggs, a splash of water and a big pinch of flour in another pan and whisk until the egg and flour are combined completely.
Cut your cube steak or tenderized round steak into bun size pieces. They will enlarge as you bread them. Lightly salt and pepper. Place one steak in the flour pressing down to help the flour adhere, turn over and do the same.
Then put the steak in the egg mixture turning to completely coat, then back in the flour, pressing down, to completely cover with the flour. You can dredge again, add back to eggs and back in flour, or you can just do the one dredge. Either way you want to make sure they are completely covered and the flour is adhering to the steak. Set your dredged steaks on a sheet pan or plate until ready to fry.
Heat your oil in a large skillet to medium high. When the oil is heated add your first few pieces of steak, single layer, not crowding and cook until lightly browned. When done remove and drain on a rack over a sheet pan. Draining on paper towel will make them soggy. If you are frying many keep the already cooked pieces in the oven on the wire rack on warm. Continue until all have been cooked.

To Build the Sandwich

Heat a griddle or skillet to medium high. spread each bun with butter. Place on the hot griddle and cook until they start to brown a little. Flip and leave on the other side for just a minute.
Slather each side of the bun with a good mayonnaise. Top each bottom with lettuce, then add you steak, tomatoes, onions, more lettuce if you like.
Place the lid on and enjoy! You'll need lots of napkins!

love this shrimp scampi pasta.

August 17, 2021 by Becky Spoon

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This is a classic shrimp scampi pasta dish. It is a simple garlic, white wine and butter sauce. So, so delicious and satisfying.

Scampi are tiny, lobster-like crustaceans with pale pink shells (also called langoustines). Italian cooks in the United States swapped shrimp for scampi, but kept both names. Thus the dish was born, along with inevitable variations. Scampi makes a wonderful appetizer or a fabulous hearty meal if you add the pasta and delicious garlic bread.

love this shrimp scampi pasta.

I love shrimp cooked anyway or cooked in lime juice like ceviche! I made shrimp and grits the other day and I had this shrimp leftover. I’d been wanting scampi, so it worked out well. I usually buy head on-shell on shrimp because I like to use the heads and shells for basic shrimp stock, which is a must in Louisiana style cooking. These were Argentinian shrimp that I found at my local HEB and they were raw, but peeled and deveined. Filling a little lazy I guess, I purchased them, upon the recommendation of the fish monger and they were delicious. Such pretty colors.

You have to make the Shrimp and Grits too. Here’s the recipe for it: these amazing shrimp and grits.

I love to eat in large bowls. Not sure why, but something my late husband and I did for years. We both loved eating in a big bowl. Here’s some of my favorites: https://amzn.to/2UtVzE0. M other favorites are like the ones above in gray. I think I got them at Pier I.

love this shrimp scampi pasta.

If you aren’t serving this with pasta, you could half the sauce. Because I wanted to toss my pasta in the sauce I made more sauce. Who wants bland pasta with this delicious shrimp! Of course, serve with more lemons and delicious bread.

Here’s the recipe! Hope you try this and enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi Pasta

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Servings: 2 servings

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
3/4 tsp tsp salt
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Fresh ground pepper
1 lb large or extra large shrimp shelled
1/3 cup chopped parsley
fresh squeezed lemon juice
8 oz pasta of your choice
crusty bread or garlic bread

Method

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until desired doneness.
In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine or broth, salt, red pepper flakes and plenty of black pepper and bring to a simmer. Let wine reduce by half, about 2 minutes.
Add shrimp and sauté until they just turn pink, 2 to 4 minutes depending upon their size. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice .
Remove the shrimp from the pan. Remove the pasta from the pan with tongs or similar and add to the sauce. If you get some pasta water, that's good because it will help you thicken the sauce for it to stick to your pasta.
Cook the pasta in the sauce for a couple of minutes. Add the pasta and sauce to individual serving dishes and top with the shrimp. Serve with crusty bread or like I did, garlic bread.
Bon Appetite!

the best crab stuffed salmon.

August 16, 2021 by Becky Spoon

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Oh, wow! This crab stuffed salmon is amazing! Those of you my age, do you remember the stuffed fish at Steak and Ale! I ate that every time I was there! I can’t remember if it was flounder or salmon, but it was stuffed with crab and delicious!

The crab stuffing is very simple. I didn’t want to add a lot of filler, so this really is mostly crab. If you google crab stuffed salmon, most of them will have cream cheese. I wanted a crab cake stuffed into a piece of salmon. No cvream cheese, nothing like that. Just crab with some seasonings and mayonnaise and buttery crackers to hold it together.

The ingredients are a good mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, old bay, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, chopped parsley and some buttery crackers. I use those Club crackers. You could use Ritz crackers or regular saltines, however, I really like a buttery cracker for this dish. I combine those ingredients and mound them onto the salmon after I have made a slit on top of the salmon to hold the crab. They are baked 15 to 18 minutes at 375 degrees, then slathered in garlic butter. Delicious!

the best crab stuffed salmon.

I eat a lot of salmon! My local HEB always fresh salmon or occasionally I’ll buy the wild salmon from Sam’s Club. I buy wild salmon, not farm raised. It is a little more expensive, but worth it. perfect grilled salmon salad with summer vegetables. This is delicious!

the best crab stuffed salmon.

This dish is really rich so something like asparagus would be delicious or saluted spinach would also work. Here’s a couple of my other recipes to serve as a side dish.

Perfect Sesame Roasted Asparagus with Whipped Herbed Boursin Cheese

Easy Cheesy Creamed Spinach and,

So Easy, Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice

All of these would be delicious. If you want to keep with a cajun theme these potatoes would be lucious!

Easy – Wilda Marie’s Lazy Potato Casserole

This potato casserole has “Slap Yo Mama” Louisiana seasoning! These are delicious. Here’s a link for this seasoning: https://amzn.to/3iT1Rq2.

Here’s the recipe for this delicious dish! Super easy and so delicious!

Crab Stuffed Salmon

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Servings: 2 servings

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

2 salmon filets
olive oil to brush the salmon
salt and pepper
8 oz large lump crab
1-2 tbsp good mayonnaise
juice and zest of one lemon
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of old bay
pinch of Cajun seasoning like Tony Chachere's
dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1 sleeve crushed Club crackers (about 18)

Lemon Butter

1/2 stick unsalted butter
juice of 1/2 of a lemon
1 garlic clove minced finely

Method

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a small casserole dish.
Cut a slit down the middle of the salmon without going all the way through and leaving about 1 inch or a space on each end. You just want a pocket to fill with the crab mixture. Brush them with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper.
In a bowl add your mayonnaise and the seasonings. Add the crushed crackers, Combine. Add the crab mixing briefly with a fork to keep it light.
Divide the crab mixture and with your hands lightly form a ball like patty not compacting, leaving the crab mixture loose. Place in the pocket of the salmon. Place in the oven and bake for about 15-18 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook stirring until aromatic. Add the lemon juice and remove from the heat. Set aside to brush on the salmon when done.
Crab should start to brown some on top and the salmon should be a little firm, yet a little flaky, but definitely not dry and overcooked. I just check it after about 10 minutes to see where it is. I like salmon medium to medium rare. If you think the salmon is done yet the crab is not browned on top, turn the broiler on and just lightly brown. Remove from the oven and pour the butter mixture on each piece of salmon. Enjoy!

Chicken and Dumplings – ultimate comfort food.

July 29, 2021 by Becky Spoon

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I love Chicken and Dumplings. I realize that this is not the time of the year; however, the other day I had chicken leftover, just enough for a soup or dumplings. I made the right decision because they hit the spot and made me happy. There’s a lot of truth in the statement “comfort food”. How amazing is it that that very thing we need to survive brings us so much comfort?

Chicken and Dumplings – ultimate comfort food.

I had poached a chicken to use in tacos and I had some left over and the homemade chicken stock. I like to poach a chicken because the chicken remains tender and flavorful. Poaching is boiling that never boils! I just use a soup pot to poach a chicken. This is a great soup pot if you need one: https://amzn.to/3iY7e67. I have just a few pieces of All-Clad and I really love the product. I have a very small saucepan that I’ve used for even frying an egg and “IT DOESN’T STICK”. I love those products that foods don’t sticik.

I have another recipe on the blog Chicken and Dumplings – the Ultimate Comfort Food

The difference in the above Chicken and Dumplings is that the dumpling recipe is different. For the dumplings I’m currently posting, they are made using self-rising flour and I love them. I was surprised! And they held up. you know how dumplings can dissolve? And, this recipe is so fast, yet so delicious!

Something that I do but not required is I add carrots, celery, onions and peas. I sauté the carrots, onions and celery until tender, the I add a little flour to form a roux. Not a lot of flour, but enough to insure you have a thickened sauce . It’s much easier to add more chicken stock if the sauce is too tight than to thicken the sauce after the dumplings are done. The dumplings will thicken the sauce some.

Chicken and Dumplings – ultimate comfort food.

If you’d like a side dish I think Green Beans would be great, fried okra in Texas is a favorite, asparagus, or if you add the carrots and peas, you need nothing more. If you want something with crunch and is acidic, add a nice simple salad with some arugula and a mustardy vinaigrette!

Chicken and Dumplings

I love Chicken and Dumplings. I realize that this is not the time of the year; however, the other day I had chicken leftover, just enough for a soup or dumplings. I made the right decision because they hit the spot and made me happy. There's a lot of truth in the statement "comfort food". How amazing is it that that very thing we need to survive brings us so much comfort?

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Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Southern

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

2 tbsp unsaltd butter
1/4 onion, diced
1 carrot diced or thinly sliced
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
1 heaping tbsp all purpose flour
6 cups chicken stock (more if needed)
2 cups chicken, cubed or shredded
1 cup frozen pes
salt and pepper to taste

For the Dumplings

2 cups self rising flour
1/3 cup shortening or butter
3/4 cups buttermilk

Method

If you are cooking your chicken, place in 3 quarts of water with 4 tsps kosher salt, 1 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic and about 8 whole peppercorns. Bring these ingredients to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes to flavor the water. Add the chicken pieces, allow to come back to a boil and immediately adjust the heat to the barest simmer. Allow the chicken to poach until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. As the pieces are done, remove from the pot, spoon a little of the broth over to keep moist and allow to cool. When you can handle the chicken shred or dice into bite-size pieces, discarding skin and bones. If you are refrigerating for later, ladle a little more broth and cover with saran wrap.
Strain the broth and set aside for later or refrigerate.

For the Dumplings

Cut the shortening or butter into the flour using a fork, pastry cutter or your hands until well distributed and in small pieces.
Add the milk and mix with a fork until well mixed. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead a few times. Roll out to about 1/8 inch thick and cut into strips about 1.5 inches wide and what ever length you like. I like about 3 or 4 inch long dumplings. Set aside until ready to add to your broth.

To assemble and complete the dish

Add the butter to a stock or soup pot. Add your diced onions, celery and carrots. Sauté a few minutes until the vegetables begin to soften a little. Add the flour and cook a few minutes. Add the stock, stirring to make sure sure there are no lumps. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low boil. Add the dumpling strips, separating with a spoon or knife to allow to add more to the simmer broth, When all have been added cover and simmer about 20 minutes until the dumplings are set and cooked through.
Add the chicken and peas and gently stir to combine. The pea will cook in the hot broth, so there is no need to continue cooking. You can turn off or keep warm if you are serving immediately.
Enjoy!